The next chapter is here! Enjoy :)
Mia spent a good portion of the rest of the morning showing her new house guest how everything within the home worked.
Surprisingly, he seems to catch onto things quickly and was a fast learner. There were hardly any times she had to show him how to do something twice. The only things he had a bit of a hard time with was the things with numbers or words on it like the oven.
Apparently, he couldn't read the letters or numbers displayed on the tiny screen.
"So, you mean to say the script you wrote back on Middle Earth was very different from this?" She asked him, while gesturing to some of the words.
"Yes, one of the earliest ones is Tengwar. That is the script I mainly wrote in." He told her.
"Ok, well the script we write here is in English. Same as the language we are speaking. This is something else I can teach you." She said.
"I'm just sorry that there is so much I must learn that you have to teach. But I can tell you, many of the things you have showed me so far, seem relatively simple and I am understanding a lot of the basic functions of the objects you have shown me." Adar tells her.
"I'm glad to hear it. From what I have seen so far, you do appear to catch onto learning things quickly. The thing is though, there are also quite a few things here with words and numbers on them besides the oven. Like the toaster oven, dishwasher, and the washer and dryer for clothing to name a few. Even the remote for the TV with the buttons on them have words and numbers. As well as phones." Mia explained.
"And you're right in your assumption. I am a fast learner, always have been. It's why I'm not concerned. I'm sure showing me the letters and some basic words shouldn't be too difficult. From them, I can possibly start learning how to string them together to learn more of the basic words in this 'English' language." He said.
If anyone can learn different languages pretty quickly, he could.
He has learned quite a few different languages over the span on centuries and became quite fluent in them. To him, it was a good battle tactic. This way he knew what his enemies were saying and planning. Most of these times were in his earliest years under Morgoth and Sauron after they started utilizing him as a warrior after his torture.
They have sent him out on solo missions plenty of times to spy on their enemies and gain intel by listening in on conversations about battle and war strategies from a hidden area out of sight from them.
"Maybe after we do get through the alphabet and small basic words, I can always say you're free to utilize the dictionary I have. But there are thousands of words in it so, it would take a long time to read." Mia stated.
"And what does this dictionary entail? Is it just a book of various words?" He asks.
"Not just various words, but it gives you their definition and what type of pronoun they are. It also breaks apart the word and shows you how to pronounce it correctly. The words are all listed in alphabetical order from A to Z." She explains.
"Interesting. I wouldn't mind reading it." Adar tells her.
"Did I happen to mention it may take you a long time to get through the whole dictionary? I don't think I know anyone who has actually sat through reading a whole dictionary before without growing tired of it or giving up. In fact, I don't think too many people do read the dictionary for that reason. They are mainly just there if someone wants to look up a specific word and their meaning." She says.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I think you'll find that I can be very patient and do enjoy a challenge from time to time. I also happen to enjoy reading. Whenever I had free time, I'd indulge in reading a volume or tome. Many of them were very thick books too." He replied.
Mia couldn't help but smile a little at his reply.
She too can be a glorified book worm. This is why after she retired from being a professional prima ballerina a couple years ago, she decided to become an author. So far, she has written one fantasy book for adolescents, and it had become pretty popular since its release about five months ago.
Now, she was already working on a second kids' fantasy book. Though sadly, for these past few days, she has been experiencing a case of writer's block. But at least she knows it's temporary and there are no strict deadlines. She prefers to work at her own pace and her publisher knows this and doesn't have an issue with it.
"I can relate to that. I too enjoy reading. Hence why I have an extensive collection of books in my office on the bookshelves. When you learn how to read English, you are more than welcome to them." She offered.
He couldn't help but give her a small smile at her generous offer.
"Thank you, I'd like that very much." Adar said.
"You're welcome. Do you want to see my office and see where the books are?" She inquired.
"Please." He says.
"Ok, this way. It's the very first door on the left in the hallway here off of the living room." She stated, making a small gesture for him to follow her.
The two of them headed out of the living room and stepped into the hall.
The office was only about five feet down on the left. She then led him inside.
"You can have a look around if you want." Mia told him.
"Thank you." He replied.
Adar then started walking about the nice size office.
It was easy to spot the books. Mia wasn't kidding when she said she had quite the collection. At least three of the walls in there were lined with bookshelves from top to bottom. There was also a comfy two-seater couch near the back against the wall between the large wooden bookshelves. It even had a tiny wooden end table next to it.
There was also a wooden desk in the upper left corner of the room with a window not far from it.
It had an odd-looking chair in front of it with these wheels on the bottom and there was this flat metal rectangle that sat on the desk in front of the chair. He already knew plenty of the metallic things she showed him so far within the house was some type of tech.
"Is that flat rectangle another piece of technology?" He asks, gesturing to her closed laptop.
Mia followed his gaze and saw he as gesturing to her computer.
"Yeah, it is. It's called a computer. More specifically a laptop." She told him.
She then walked over and opened it up.
He watched as this screen similar to the TV popped up. On the bottom though, there was no screen. Instead, there looked like there was a series of those 'button's she was telling him about, like what the remote has. Only these appeared to be a bit bigger, shaped differently and the layout of them was different too.
"What do you do on it?" He asked.
Mia pulled her computer chair out and sat in it.
He observed her tapping the buttons. As she did this; things were popping up on the screen. There were these little dots that just appeared in this little, thin rectangular box.
Then she pressed another button, and the screen changed. Now, there was this nice picture of a beach showing on it. There were also these much small pictures off to the left side lined up from the top of the screen to the bottom.
"You can do a lot of things on here. Like looking up things on what we call a search engine, watch videos, or type things up. Typing being another form of writing. Which I do. I write books on here and then have them published." She explained.
Adar turned to her then, a little surprised.
"You're a Scribe then?" He asked.
Mia had to refrain from chuckling in amusement at the ancient term no one uses anymore.
"They don't call people who write books, Scribes. They just call us writers or authors. But yes, similar concept." She said.
"I see. How do you write on here though? Does it have to do with those many square and rectangular buttons on the bottom half of it?" He inquired.
"Yeah, here. I'll show you." She says.
Then she pulled up one of her writing documents to the chapter she was still working on. The page appeared on the screen and still had a couple paragraphs typed up on the page.
He saw more of the strange script he has yet to learn how to read up on this white screen. Afterwards he heard the light 'clicking' sound as his gaze flickered from her fingers pressing the buttons to the screen. Each time she tapped a button, one of the strange letters came up and started forming words.
"Amazing. And this is how books are created here?" He asks.
"Yes, this is how just about every single book here is made. All those books on the shelves behind us and off to the sides, they were all typed up by various authors. Then they use this special kind of machine that makes 'copies' of the books so that there is more than one of that book. They call it mass production. They can make thousands of copies from just one book alone and sell them to many different people around the country and sometimes, other parts of the world." Mia explained.
It was pretty surprising to hear that they can replicate one book like that.
In Middle Earth there was no such things as copies. Just the one and only original book. While some books can be similar in topic to one another, they still weren't virtually identical.
"So, all these books that you have then, are not one and only originals but 'copies' as you put it that stem from the original book or manuscript?" He stated.
"Exactly. And every copy they dish out, is exactly the same, word for word, chapter by chapter, and the same exact number of pages." She replied.
Mia paused for a moment, before speaking again.
"You know, when you learn how to read English, you can use a laptop to look things up you want to learn more about. Kind of like I was telling you before about search engines. The reason they are called that, is because you can type up whatever you want in the search box and the computer will pull up various amounts of information about the topic you're searching for." She added.
"So, you're saying if I wanted to look up something like a certain time period or certain type of region, I would just type it in, and it would appear on the screen?" He surmised.
"Yes, that is exactly how it works." She told him.
"Sounds just as interesting as your TV and books. And another useful tool to learn from." He says.
"It is. While you are new here to this world, the good news is, there are a wide variety of tools you can utilize to learn more about the world. It's a very effective way for you to better understand it." Mia stated.
Adar was quiet for a moment, before speaking.
"I will admit that all of this is still very strange to me because here is just so much different from Middle Earth. Yet, at the same time, it is all fascinating and new. I like to believe in time, I will learn how to fully adjust to being here." He admits.
She gave him a reassuring smile.
"And you will. You have all the time in the world to learn all about it. Even things that start out very complicated, get easier with time, if you just keep working on it." She said.
"It could also be perhaps I have a good teacher here to show me how. Which I am still very grateful to you for doing so." He informed her.
"You're welcome." Mia replied.
Her gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds, before they flickered down to his clothes.
"Though, I think one of the first things we should do, is get you some clothes. I mean no disrespect when I say this, but...your clothes don't appear to be holding out very well. At least the shirt doesn't appear to be." She admits to him.
Instead of being insulted though, he huffed out a small breathy laugh through his nose.
"Yes, I suppose these old cloths have seen much better days in the past. But then I have had them for a very long time. If I had to guess...people here most likely do not wear clothing like this, do they?" He pointed out.
"Not particularly, no. And they certainly don't wear armor either, like you were wearing last night. It's fine though, we can easily get you more clothes. And I know some very good clothing stores to check out." She stated.
"Are stores like shops?" He asked.
"Yeah, they are. There are a large variety of stores in the area that sell all kinds of goods from clothes to food and other necessities." She says.
Though as Mia sat there thinking about the places to go. She did encounter a slight problem. She has no idea what sizes to get him and didn't want to end up buying multiple different sizes and lug them all back, have him try them all on to see which ones fit best.
She knew there was a better solution for that. Question was, would he be ready to leave the house? He did only just arrive here late last night. The last thing she wants to do is overload his senses by surrounding him with way more people and structures.
'He'll have to go out eventually though. May not make much of a difference if it's today or next month.'She thought.
Though having him contained to this house even that long would be cruel.
She knows he hasn't freaked out yet on anything she has shown him thus far. So, he clearly didn't come off as someone easily excitable or jumpy, because of this, maybe she can chance taking him out.
"Do you think...you can handle coming out with me to get you some new clothes? Or will it be too much for you too soon?" Mia inquired.
"I'll be fine, and I don't mind it at all. Should make for an interesting experience if anything." Adar replied.
He's already aware, the outside world will most likely be like nothing he has ever seen before.
If he were alone, and didn't have some type of guidance from the start, he may have been perturbed and on edge with what he may see. But after Mia has shown him a lot of things here alone in her dwellings, told him and showed him quite a bit of some examples about what society and the people are like, he feels more prepared to see what's out there.
"Alright, but if at any point you do start to feel overwhelmed, please let me know and we will return here." She tells him.
"Fair enough." He says, with a small nod.
"Would you prefer we go now or later? No rush." She offered.
"If you're not busy with anything at the moment, I don't mind leaving now." He told her.
"Ok. Just need to grab my jacket and keys." Mia says, as she closed her laptop and got up from her chair.
Though at the mention of the word jacket, she realized he didn't have one, and she sure as hell didn't have anything here that will fit him.
This means, they will have to be quick getting to the car and to the stores. Less he freezes.
"I'm sorry, I just realized I don't have any jackets here that fit you and it's very cold out. All I can think of is we should walk quickly to and from the car so we can get inside where it's warm faster. I also think, the first thing we should do is get you a jacket when we get to the stores." She informs him.
He wanted to say not to worry about that, because he doesn't get cold easily.
Until he remembered he was no longer an elf but a human and from what he recalls last night when he first arrived here and found himself laying in the snow, he did find himself to be very cold. From the time he got up from the ground all the way to Mia walking him back to her home, he was freezing.
So, starting off with obtaining this 'jacket' would be a good idea. He can only surmise it was their version of a cloak.
"I agree. The weather out there is certainly not the most pleasant at the moment. Was certainly freezing last night while we walked back to your home after I arrived here." He admitted.
"I'll make sure to have the heat on full blast in the car then, so that you're more comfortable." Mia said.
"Car?" He questioned.
"What we use for transport to get around." She replied.
Then the two of them left the office and went back into the living room. Her dog Tundra was lazing about on the recliner chair of to the right side of the couch against the wall.
They stopped in front of the front door, and she grabbed her jacket off of the coat rack, pulling it on. Then she grabbed her keys out of the little ceramic dish on a small wooden table on the other side of the door.
Afterwards, she opened the door and they both exited the house.
It was still overcast and dreary with what appeared to be about a few inches of snow on the ground. They walked around to the right side until they came upon the garage.
Mia lifted her right hand and pressed a button that was connected to her keychain.
Not a moment after, the garage door started to rise up. Adar only tensed up for a split second but then calmed back down when he remembered that there is no danger.
As it finished sliding open, Mia started heading over to what lay inside. He followed her in as well.
Hopefully, he will be able to warm up soon in this car, as she says. His current clothes were not doing well to keep out the cold. Didn't help either that with all the holes in his shirt, the cold, frigid air was going right through them, hitting bare skin.
Adar eyed the large mechanical machine in front of them. It had a very odd shape to it.
Mia went to the passenger side door first and opened it for him. Then she gestured for him to come over.
"You just step in here and sit down on the seat inside. Try not to bump your head going in." She warned.
His gaze flickered from her to the interior, and he very carefully eased himself inside and sat on the soft seat.
As soon as he was in all the way, she closed the door and walked around the front of the SUV to get to the driver side. Once she was in, she saw him looking around the inside of the car with seeming interest.
"Before I start the car, there is one thing you need to do. And that is put on the seatbelt." She told him.
He shifted his gaze to her with a slightly confused look.
"Look, it's right. Watch me." Mia says.
Then he watched as she grabbed this odd, flat strap and pulled it out. She then stretched it over her front and placed this metal piece that was connected on the end of it into this little rectangular piece with a soft click.
He looked to his right beside him and saw the same strange strap hanging off to the side.
He grabbed it and started pulling it. The strap started to stretch and elongate as it came out of a slit in the side. Then he pulled it over the front of his torso and looked down for the little rectangle piece with the red top on it. He then took the flat, shiny metal piece and lined it up with the tiny slit that was below the red part of the rectangle and shoved it in. He heard it click like hers just did then let go of it.
Now the strap was being held in place across his front.
"These seatbelts are for safety purposes. It's why we wear them." She said, in case he asked.
He nodded in understanding.
Then he watched her take this strange shape key and stick it into another little slit on the side of this round circle in front of where she sat. Next thing he knew, the car started making a sound and he felt a very faint vibration beneath his seat.
Adar looked around, while his hands went to the sides. One grasped the seat by his leg the other hand went to the handle of the car door.
She saw he looked a little startled as she turned on the car.
"It's ok, the car is going to make some strange noises, it is normal." She assured him.
"If you say so." He says, as his gaze continues to shift around a little.
Mia slowly reached up and placed a hand on his upper left arm. This gained his attention and had him shift his gaze back to her.
"We're going to start moving now. Think you'll be alright with that?" She asks.
He was silent for a moment, before replying.
"Yes." He says.
Before she pulled out of the garage, she set the heater on high to make the inside of the car warm up, while making him warm.
He felt a blast of warm air hitting him a little. It was coming from the front. He held up one of his hands and placed it in front of the vent. The warm air coming in felt pleasant.
"I put on the heater, to help warm you up before we go." She said.
"Thank you. It is helping." He told her.
"Good." Mia replied.
Then she put the car into drive and started pulling out.
Adar watched as the 'car' started moving forward. It was pretty smooth as it left the small dwelling it was in. So far, it didn't seem all that bad. She pulled all the way out of the garage before coming to a stop for a moment.
Then she reached up to her keychain and pressed the garage door button.
Once it closed completely behind them, they started moving again. She followed the gravel driveway out and around to the back and started taking the dirt road into the thin line of woods.
He started looking out the window as they drove through the road between the trees until they got to another road that she made a right onto.
Mia then started heading down the main road. It would be only about twelve minutes until they reached the mall. As she made a couple glances at her friend sitting next to her in the passenger seat, she noted he seemed calmer now and his gaze was glued to the windows watching as they breezed past other houses on the road as they went.
"This machine seems to go quite fast. Faster than any horse." Adar said.
"This isn't even the fastest it can go. It can go even faster than this. But the speed limit for this road is only forty miles per hour which means I cannot go faster than that on this road. The thing with driving cars is that there are some strict rules to follow while driving that everyone must follow. Unless they want to get in trouble with the law." She told him.
"Why is that? Is the faster speed considered more dangerous?" He asks.
"If you're not carefully and drive recklessly, yes. But unlike some people, I am not a reckless driver and do my best to obey what we call the traffic laws." Mia stated.
For the rest of the drive, she did go on to explain some of the more important traffic laws so that he could understand why they have them put in place and that many of them were put in place for safety.
The more she explained it to him, the more he understood. Just as the more time he spent riding in the car, he was beginning to enjoy it.
It really was very different from riding a horse, and in many ways more comfortable. There was no bumpy up and down motions like you would get while riding on the horse and you weren't constantly being blasted by wind. This ride was clearly much smoother and being inside the car behind glass, metal, and plastic, you weren't being bombarded by the cold air.
The more time he was spending here on Earth, the more intriguing it was becoming.
Until Next Time ;)